Paper carriage for accounting machines



June 11, 1940. w, A, ANDERSON 2,204,243

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA COUNTING MACHINES.

Filed June 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIH INVENTOR WALTER A. ANDERSON June 11, 1940. w, 4 ANDERSON 2,204,243

PAPER CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING IACHINES Filed June 25, 1,937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NvENToR WALTER AAA/DERSON r.

TT RNE June 11, 1940. w. A. ANDERSON PAPER CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING IACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 25. 1937 4 llllllllll'; n51- mllllll V. A. ANDERSON PAPER CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING IACHINBS June 11, 1940.

Filed June 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR WA]. rm ANDERSON BY x June 11, 1940.

W. A. ANDERSON PAPER CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING IACHINES Filed June 25, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOF WALTER A. ANDERSQ/VE TTORNEY Patented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER CARRIAGE FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Application June 25, 1937, Serial No. 150,367

13 Claims.

This invention. relates to accounting machines,

and more particularly tothe type having a traveling paper carriage movable laterally for recording in a plurality of columns on a work sheet.

6 Many machines of this character are equipped with what is known as a front feed device whereby a work sheet may be fed into the ma-- chine by being inserted downwardly from the front of the platen. This type of paper feedin requires that the customary front pressure rolls be moved away from the platen an appreciable distance when the paper is being fed into the machine by the operator. Itis therefore necessary to return the pressure rolls into engagement with the platen after the paper is i'nsertedand before the printing mechanism functions.

In the type of machine on which the present invention is shown the pressure rolls are secured to a bail extending across the front of the carriage, and as the bail is moved away from and toward the platen in moving the pressure rolls, this operation will be referred to as opening and closing the front feed bail.

Since the necessary opening and closing of the front feed ball, when manually operated, places an additional burden on the operator, it is an object of the present invention to provide mechanism' capable of doing this work as an incident to routine operation of the machine.

A further object of the'invention is to provide a mechanism of this character that is simple in construction, adjustable for operation at any desired point in the carriage travel, and which is capable of opening and closing .the carriage any desired number of times during each lateral excursion thereof.

With these and incidental objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features of Figure 4 is a right side elevation showing the operating mechanism for the invention and showing the adjustability of oneof the parts,

roller supports,

Figure 6 is a back elevation showing some of the parts shown in Figure 4,

Figure 7 is a right side elevation showing the bail opening .and closing mechanism in its normal position,

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the device at the completion of its working strok in opening the front feed bail,

- Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the device at the end of its working stroke in closing the front feed bail,

Figure 10 is a right side elevation of a modifled form of the invention showing the mechanism in its disabled position,

Figure 5 is a side sectional view of one of the l Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 showi ing the mechanism at the end of its working stroke in opening the front feed bail, and

Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 10 showing the mechanism in its normal position.

Detailed description In the drawings, the accounting machine I has a traveling paper carriage 2 with side walls 3 and 4. The carriage is movable laterally of the machine on a track 5. A front feed bail 6 extends across the front of the carriage in front of and above a roller platen I to accommodate worksheets inserted downwardly into the machine in front of the platen. The bail 6 carries a suitable number of front pressure rolls 8 and is pivotedat 9 (Figure '7) at each side of the carriage for movement forward and rearward of the machine under control of a detent ll pivoted to the bail at II. A spring I; connected to detent I I and to the frame of the paper carriage holds detent H in engagement with a stud M on the carriage frame. Two recesses l5 and IS in detent ll determine the forward and rearward positions of the ball 6.

For further details of 'the accounting machine and paper carriage reference may be had to the co-pending application of Oscar J. Sunds'trand, Serial No. 581,800, flied December 18, 1931, and the United States patents of Oscar J. Sundstrand,

' No. 2,060,954, issued November 17,1936 and No.

opening and closing front feed ball 6 is operated by lateral movement of the carriage, the bail being closed when the carriage moves from right to left on'its working stroke, and opened when the carriage moves from left to right on its return stroke. The mechanism for operating the front feed bail in these movements includes a cam member I! (Figures 2, 3 and 4) secured on a bracket l8 by a screw 2|. Bracket l8 supports a rod 22 (Figure 6) extending between its side flanges and secured thereto by screws 23. Another rod 24 extends between the side flanges of bracket 68 above rod 22. A spring. 25 is connected to rod 24 and to a rod 26 supported in flanges on each side of a plate 2'! secured to the machine frame. This construction enables bracket Hi to be pivoted about rod 22, to move the upper end of the bracket away from the machine, as illustrated by the dot and dash lines in Figure 4. In swinging the upper end of the bracket away from the machine. it is first raised slightly against the tension of spring 25 to lift rod 24 out of notches 2B in plate 2?, slots 36 in plate 2? allowing a corresponding rise of rod 22. This pivotal movement of bracket 98 serves no useful purpose in the operation of the front feed bail opening and closing mechanism but is necessary to provide clearance for removing a detachable control plate 32 that supports control magazines 33.

Cam member ll lies in the path of a roller 34 (Figures 4 and 5) rotatable on a screw 35 extending through two clamping plates 36 and 31 and threaded into a thumb nut 38. Clamping plates 36 and 31 embrace two rods 4! extending laterally of the machine, as shown in Figure 2 Referring to Figure 5, it will be noted'that tightening of thumb nut 38, assisted by'a shoulder near the head of screw 35 bearing against clamping plate 36, causes clamping plates 36 and 37 to tighten against rods 4 I to hold the unit against movement along the rods.

Rods 4| are secured at each-end to levers 42 (Figure 2) pivoted on screws 43 at each end of the carriage. One or more clamps 44 are secured to the two rods 4| to provide additional rigidity to the swinging frame structure composed of parts 34 to 42. I

At'the right side of the carriage a pitman 45 (Figures 2 and -7) is pivoted at 46 to the lower end of lever 42 and rests, near its forward end, in a shallow groove in a stud 41 secured in the carriage side wall 4. A tension lever 48 is likewise pivoted to the carriage side wall at 5| and rests on a stud 52 on pitman 45. A spring 53 is connected to the rear .end of lever 48 and to the carriage side wall. The normal position of these parts is illustrated in Figure 7 where roller 34 is in the vertical plane of pivot screws '43.

The forward end of pitman 45 is provided with two depending lugs 54 and 55 adapted to co-act with a stud 56 on front feed bail 6. Figure 7 shows that there is sufficient clearance between lugs 54 and 55 to permit the front feed bail to be manually opened or closed, if desired.

Operation .6. The carriage continues traveling for a short distance, whereupon spring 53, through a cam surface 51 on lever 48, together with the weight of the swinging assembly 34 to 42, returns pitman 45 and the swinging assembly to the normal position shown in Figure 7. The space between lugs 54 and 55 is sufficient to allow the swinging assembly to return to normal and still leave the front feed bail 6 open.

The operator then inserts a new work sheet and begins to operate the machine. In the type of work for which the present structure is adapted, the first printed entry is made only on the work sheet inserted from the rear of the platen and not on the work sheet inserted from the front thereof. Therefore, it is not necessary that the front feed bail be closed during this operation. At the completion of the operation the carriage tabulates, as explained in the above mentioned application Serial No. 581,800, during which tabulation roller 34 contacts the rear edge of cam member ll, moving the swinging assembly rearwardly to the position shown in Figure 9, lug 54 contacting stud 56 and closing the front feed bail. After roller 34 passes beyond cam member H a cam surface 58 on lever 48, accompanied by the weight of the swinging assembly, returns the assembly to normal position shown in Figure 7.

Modification Figures 10 to 12 show a modified form of the invention that is used where it is desired to open the front feed bail automatically but not to close it automatically. In this form of the invention. pitman 45a is provided with 2. lug 55a, but no lug corresponding to lug 54 (Figure 7). Therefore, movement of roller 34 forward, during the return stroke of the carriage, to the position shown in Figure 11, opens the front feed bail, but movement of roller.34 rearward, during the working stroke of the carriage, to the position shown in Figure 9, will have no effect on the ball. Figure 10 illustrates the roller moved to a positionwhere it is entirely disabled. This is accomplished by the operator manually moving pitman 45a to its extreme rearward position where stud 52 engages a deep notch 6| in link 48a. The tension of spring 53 is sufiicient to hold the stud in engagement with the notch. I

If, in the use of this modified form of the invention, it is desired to have the front feed bail open near the end of the working stroke of the carriage, instead of on the return stroke, cam I1 would be adjusted to the position shown by the dot and dash lines in Figure 3. When in this position, the cam member moves roller 34 forward during the last increment of travel of the carriage in its working stroke, to open the bail. This is often desirable as it gives the operator an opportunity to change the front fed work sheets during the return movement of the carriage.

' For types of work requiring that the front feed bail be opened twice during each excursion of the carriage it is apparent that it'is only neces sary to provide an additional roller 34 at the desired location on rods 4|.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated,'it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms all coming withinthe scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is: y

1. In a machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage, a platen and front feed mechanism, a cam member supported on the from left to right, and for movement in the opposite direction by the cam member when the carriage moves from right to left, and a .connection between the engaging member and the front feed mechanism for opening and closing the mechamember.

2. In a machine of the class described having.

a traveling paper carriage, a platen thereon, pressure rolls bearing against the front of the platen, an adjustable support for the pressure rolls, a cam member and a member operated thereby, one of said members being mounted on the machine frame and the other member being supported for lateral movement with the carriage and moved by said one memberin two directions during travel of the carriage, and a connection between the said other member and the pressure rolls for moving the pressure rolls toward and away from the platen.

3. In a machine of the class described having a.traveling paper carriage, a platen thereon, front feed mechanism thereon adapted to be opened and closed, and means situated between the carriage and a stationary part of the machine for opening the front feed mechanism during travel of the carriagein one direction and for closing the front feed mechanism during travel of the carriage in the opposite direction. 0

4. In a machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage, a platen thereon, a front feed mechanism thereon, a member suspended on a swinging frame, a connection between the swinging frame and the front feed mechanism, and a second member on a stationary part of the machine lying in the path of the said member and adapted to move the said member in one direction during the return stroke of the carriage and in the opposite direction during the working stroke of the carriage to open and close the front feed mechanism. a

5. In a machine of the classdescribed having a traveling paper carriage, a roller platen and a traveling paper carriage, a roller platen and front feed mechanism thereon, means movable in one direction for automatically opening the front feed mechanism during lateral travel of the carriage irrone'direction and movable in the opposite direction for automatically closing the front feed mechanism during lateral travel of the carriage in the opposite direction, and means for returning the first mentioned means to normal position following each of the said movements thereof.

7. Ina machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage including a roller platen and a front feed mechanism, means for automatically operating the front feed mechanism during tr we] of the carriage, and means for returning a part of the operating means to initial position while the front feed mechanism remains in operated position.

8. In a machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage including a roller platen and a front feed mechanism, a camming means for automatically operating the front feed mechanism during travel of the carriage in one direction, and means for reversing the operation of the operating means whereby it again operates the front feed mechanism during travel of the carriage in the other direction.

9. In a machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage including a roller platen and a front feed .mechanism, means for automatically operating the front feed mechanism at a predetermined point during travel of the carriage in one direction, and means whereby a portion of the operating means may be adjusted to cause the operating means to similarly operate the front feed mechanism at the same point during travel of the carriage in the other direction.

10. In a machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage, a platen and front parts and the front feed mechanism, the parts being so arranged that the said connection is moved in one direction by the cam member and roller to open the front feed mechanism when the carriage travelsin one direction, and is moved in another direction by the cam member and roller to close the front feed mechanism when the carriage travels in the opposite direction.

' 11. In a machine of the class described having a traveling paper carriage, a platen and front feed: pressure rolls, means operated by an element on the machine frame during travel of the carriage in one direction for moving the pressure rolls away from the platen, and operated by said element during travel of the carriage in the, opposite direction for moving the pressure rolls toward the platen.

12. In a machine of the class described, a traveling pap r carriage, a front feed mechanism thereon. and a cam member for opening and closing'the front feed mechanism during travel of the carriage.

13. In a machine of the class described, a traveling paper carriage, a front feed mechanism thereon, a cam member on the machine frame, and connections between the cam member and the front feed mechanism, and operated by the cam member, for opening and closing the front feed mechanism during travel of the carriage.

, wan-mas. 

